10 year old coolant out of LT1..smells burnt...??

[JRHAWK9]

Hi guys, I changed my friends coolant in her '95 TA with around 45,000 miles on it. I am pretty sure it was the original coolant..anyway, it smelled burnt, what would cause it to smell like that? Also, when I opened the petcock and drained it out, it had like a brown tint to it, but when I looked at it in the pan it looked very dark green. From what I could see of the inside of the radiator, there was a film of rust colored crap. It looks like rust...??

Right now she is running a mostly water/Prestone cleaner mix to clean the system up a bit. When I drain/flush it next time could I switch to G-05?? Will the old green stuff react at all with the G-05?? I plan on getting as much out as possible, but just in case..

thanks
Paul

 

[Dick in Falls Church]

Were I you, I'd use the AMSOIL Propylene Glycol fluid. Compatible with everything, long service life.
Other than that, Prestone makes a compatible long service life fluid.

 

[Mickey_M]

quote:

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**** in Falls Church:

.... I'd use .... Propylene Glycol fluid. ....

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http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ethylene-propylene-glycol-24_904.html

If your cooling system is on the edge, propylene glycol may push it over. Water is better at heat transfer than ethylene glyclol, ethylene glycol is better than propylene glycol, and in addition it requires a bit more propylene glycol to achieve a given protection, reducing the heat transfer capacity of your cooling system even more.


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[Mickey_M]

quote:

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JRHAWK9:
.... it smelled burnt, what would cause it to smell like that? ....

.... When I drain/flush it next time could I switch to G-05?? Will the old green stuff react at all with the G-05?? ....

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I've noticed recycled antifreeze often gives off a burnt smell. I have no idea why.

You might want to check the transmission fluid if it is an automatic. If it has a burnt smell, you may have identified a bigger problem.

G-05 is compatible with conventional antifreeze, but you'll compromise its longevity if you mix a significant amount of conventional antifreeze with it. Just do a triple flush if you're doing it manually in the driveway.


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